William Compton

William Compton (1482-30 June 1528) was a prominent English courtier under King Henry VIII of England.

Biography
William Compton was born in Compton, Warwickshire, England in 1482, and he became a ward of King Henry VII of England upon his father's death in 1493. Compton was made a page for the Duke of York, who would become King Henry VIII of England, and he became a member of his inner circle. In 1509, he was made Groom of the Stool, meaning that he would attend to the King as he relieved himself, and would be in charge of the King's clothes, jewels, and tableware. He also procured women for his monarch, and Compton himself had an affair with Anne Stafford, Countess of Huntingdon in 1513. That same year, he was knighted at Tournai after fighting in the Battle of the Spurs. In 1523, he served in a campaign on the border with Scotland, with his rival Thomas Wolsey sending him away from the court in an attempt to diminish his influence. In 1528, he died from the sweating sickness.